Appendix
Appendix A Brutus’ Guide to a Great Political career One of the most enjoyable things one can do when playing a role playing game like ―Legacy of Sulla‖ is to create from ground up their in-game persona. That is so fun because you get the chance to create a living being like you; a man or woman with hates and loves, ambitions and fears, desires and dislikes, a person in every sense of the word ―living‖ who in some cases may differ with the person operating him in almost every way! However, the fun is doubled in Role-playing games such as ―Legacy of Sulla‖ because for you are not only operating an ordinary man but a Senator of Rome! Intrigue, glory, catastrophe and dagger plays in the Senate House suddenly come into your every day posts and in order for you to handle the pressure inflicted on your poor PC - and don't lose hope and finally bail out, abandoning him - you need to know a basic rule or two about politics and human nature. What is much needed in politics and unfortunately in the politics of the ―Legacy of Sulla‖ as well is stamina and of course patience. What makes the Great Game, a popular term for ―high politics‖, so exciting is the fact that the fates of men are ever changing – you are almost King this day only to be murdered in the Senate Floor the next! A perfect historical example of the ever changing fates of politics would be Marcus Antonius‘s story. He rose to power alongside Caesar but he was then forced to flee Rome dressed as a slave to save his skin after the assassination of March 15th. And then, he suddenly regains power and control of the city while the Liberators are forced to hide in exile only to be forced out once again by Cicero and his Philippics. And while all seemed lost for poor Antony when he lost the battles of Mutina, there go the Liberators again who have a chance as well for power and domination… {OOC:God! What a mess!!! =)} with the most enormous army coming from the East, 17 legions, only to provide Antony with another chance for power; for as the man is reconciled with Octavius Caesar and is restored to power as Triumvir, he marches forth with young Augustus and defeats the Republicans in the twin battles of Phillipi. After the defeat of the last Republicans, he seems once more on top of the situation. But once again the chances turn against poor Antony and war breaks out between him and Octavian that leads to his suicide on the hands of his mistress! In short: what the example of Mark Antony demonstrates is that your PC may periodically rise and fall from power; what you must do is to have the ability to sort out when your case is lost and when it‘s not, where you can keep on fighting and when you are finally spent. Stamina and patience is the key to a successful – or at least realistic! – career in Roman politics. Remember that if things aren't going bright at the moment, they won't always be so. Be patient and wait until you have a break to turn the fates in your favour! You must always keep in mind that in a difficult situation your first priority would be to be patient and try to save whatever can be saved; who knows? Perhaps a pal will come to your rescue or the dice will be favourable next time! And, as with patience, remember that you must have the necessary stamina to deal with the difficult situation - stamina is the necessary trait for every politician with ambitions to lead; no one is going to follow a man that runs away in the first sign of problem now, will they now? For example, assume you were in my position when Brutus was expelled from the Senate. Is your decision to get your PC fall to his own sword or have a heart attack while hearing the Censors expelling him? If yes, then try to place yourself into your PC‘s place; now, certainly, you will exclude your own death from the possible courses of action! So would your PC if he was a real person! While it may strike out to you as a heroic thing to fall to your sword when things aren‘t going your way, remember the example of Marcus Antonius again: he only fell to his sword when all was lost – when Octavius Caesar was readying himself to storm the Royal Palace! Also, remember that commiting suicide was a noble way out for any Roman when all was lost - but suiciding when you were put to the test was a practice of cowrdice which was shunned upon (for example, during the battle of Cannae the historians claim that some men were digging holes with their swords and buLOSied their heads inside as a way to suicide than face death from the enemy - they are called cowards not a few times!). That is why we remember men like Cato and Antony! So, when you are faced with a difficult situation, try to fight your way through as any true Roman would do instead of killing off your character and starting over with a new one unless there's nowhere to run and nothing more to do. In the final analysis, you will discover that even if your PC fails in the long run, it is some times best to have a tragic story than a story where your PC goes on and on winning. Not that victory isn‘t sweet! It‘s just that when you read back what you have written down about your PC‘s tragedy, you will certainly feel more satisfied and the creator of something unique and deep. Plus, it will add much more to the general entertainment and if ―LOS‖ stands for something is to have fun while playing at Romans! Appendix B What Do We Know & When Do We Know It? As Player Characters (PCs) in "The Legacy of Sulla" (LOS), we are trying to accomplish two tasks simultaneously: Advance our PC in the brutal world of Roman politics while at the same time we're all collaborating in an effort to tell a heck of a good story! Just like the famous "First Man In Rome" novel series by Colleen McCullough, the overall storyline contains tidbits and details which, although the general readership/audience knows what's going on, individual characters may not. For example, in the book, we all gasp in amazement when we find that Sulla is killing off his mistresses (Sulla, a bad boy! Who'd have thought it?), but the other characters don't have a clue. Similarly, in our game, even though a PC may share his inmost thoughts with his fellow readers, we don't expect for a minute that the other PC's would know these thoughts, and therefore we are not free to act upon them. Perfect Example: We all know that Brutus has been a very, very naughty boy in Asia! We know this from his storyline posts that he had the Governor-Archon of Rhodes whacked (anachronistic Mafia term) and that he "fudged" his after action report about his battle with the pirates big-time. But we know this only because he told the reader, not because he told other player characters!! That's an important distinction. Now, Brutus may have been a little sloppy in some of his cover-up work, and some of his misdeeds may come to light eventually...an example might be that a sailor from the Rhodian Fleet, now in Ostia for ship upgrades, might get a little drunk and tell tales about what really happened at Samos, and that word might eventually get back to Brutus' political rivals...but until that happens (as a result of an Arbiter's die roll), there's absolutely no way that our PC's could know about or act upon that information! To do so would be a clear impossiblility, because there's no way we'd know. The same is true for news (even good news) that happens at some far-removed location. Taking the example of Brutus again: we all read of his battle against the rebels and immediately knew of the outcome. Although we as readers know immediately of his heroics and well-fought battle, our PCs in Rome will not learn of events until some time later...in this case the time it would take a fast couLOSier to reach Rome from Asia. (For the exact time delay, consult the "Finances" thread, and look at the map there. Essentially, the time lag is one day IRL for each space you have to cross on the map.) Appendix C Good Generalship & Good Penmanship Since we have neither stunning video graphics nor glorious film footage of our battles here in ―Legacy of Sulla,‖ we rely on our keyboards to do the job for us. As a general about to fight a battle with legions under your command, you probably envision something akin to one of the battle scenes in ―Gladiator‖ or HBO‘s ―Rome.‖ Well, there‘s no way you can bring that film sequence to us on the silver screen, but you can write the screenplay for the battle! That‘s what we are in effect asking you to do as a general in LOS. In order to achieve victory on the battlefield, you‘ll need some battlefield skills (don‘t woLOSy you don‘t need to be a West Point or Sandhurst graduate to pull it off, and we‘ll give you some pointers on choosing teLOSain, sound battle tactics and the like in a later post). In addition to all that, though, you will also need to tell us a darn good story! C.1 HOW WE SCORE YOUR ORDERS The Arbiters will score you on several points as you fight your battle, among them: Quality and Detail of your Orders, Your Rating as a General (we have a number in mind between 1 and 10. We won‘t tell you what it is, but it will probably grow over time!), and the quality of your Pre-Battle Speech. Other factors will come into play such as the number, type and quality of troops under your command (compared to the enemy), the effects of teLOSain, weather, and so forth. We also apply a die roll (we call it the X-Factor) which takes into account all of the many twists and foibles which take place during the heat of battle. We‘ll enter those factors into our calculator sheets, and once we roll the die, we‘ll have a battle outcome. It will be stated in general terms: Who won, how many casualties on each side, how those casualties are broken down (killed, wounded, missing), and numbers of enemy prisoners captured. We will provide YOU with the battle statistics (probably via e-mail), but it is up to YOU to write the Battle NaLOSative. In other words, we will tell you if you won or lost (with details), but we expect YOU to tell us HOW you won or lost. You‘ll take the basic details we give you, and you will embellish it with tales of valor, your men fighting desperately, the frightful cavalry charge that changed the tide of battle, the heartbreaking scene where you hold your dying centurion in your arms, etc. etc. The quality of your battle naLOSative will have a direct impact on what happens after the battle is over: Will your men proclaim you ―Imperator‖ allowing you to celebrate a triumph through the streets of Rome? Perhaps you will earn a personal military award, maybe even the Grass Crown! But it all begins with a rousing-good battle naLOSative. Let‘s break down your writing duties: 1. Operational Maneuvering. These are the ―big aLOSow‖ movements on the map. Things like ―I will take my two legions and march from Corinth to Athens, sending my scouts ahead of me with orders to keep a sharp lookout for enemy activity ahead of us.‖ What you say here will determine when a battle may come to pass and under what circumstances. The more detail you give us, the better things will go for you. More is good. Specifics are good. 2. Next comes the Battle Orders. This is where you describe how your men will maneuver on the field, how you‘ll use your cavalry, missile troops, etc. Again, more detail is better. And we‘re not just talking a bulletized list of dry details, either. Remember…think screenplay. 3. At this point, we will make our combat determination and provide you with the outcome. 4. Battle NaLOSative. Here‘s where you tell your big story. You know how the battle ends. Tell us what happens…the rest of the story. 5. Now the Arbiters will make the post-battle determinations. We‘ll score your battle naLOSative, and let you know what (if any) awards and accolades will be bestowed upon you. So you can see, a lot is riding on what you tell us. Or, here‘s the alternate approach: You tell us, ―Hey, my legions are gonna fight those other dudes, or whatever…how did I do?‖ C.2 WINNING THE LAND BATTLE Experience Counts! We look at the overall experience level of a Roman army when it goes into combat. This total experience number has two components: the experience level of the Legate, and the average experience level of the forces under his command. The basic idea is this—an experienced leader can motivate his men to perform far beyond expectations, and (conversely), combat-hardened veteran troops can improve the overall performance of a green general by knowing ―what he really meant to order us to do!‖ We gauge a PC general‘s experience by taking note of the number of previous campaigns he‘s been in, and the number of victories under his belt. Most commonly, experience is gained by participating in a battle or skirmish. A player can also gain experience points by undertaking an ambitious scouting mission or executing military operations, even if they don‘t directly result in direct combat. For example, leading a cavalry scouting force which locates the enemy main body can earn a player one half experience point. Conducting a series of hit & run raids along an enemy‘s frontier might (if well ―posted‖) earn the player one experience point. Needless to say, the more experience points a player acquires, the better his performance in combat situations. A military unit (legion, auxiliary, or ship) gains experience points for each battle in which it takes place. Individual infantry units may gain one half experience point outside of battle if they undergo an extensive and exhaustive ―training regimen.‖ An example of training would be a post where a PC General takes his men on a 50 mile forced march with tactical maneuvers; has them build a legionary fort, disassemble it, double time ten miles, and reassemble it: has them conduct extensive missile practice or other maneuvers, etc. The key to earning this extra bonus experience will lie in the quality of the post. Merely posting something like ―Legate Lucius Tiddlypus hereby orders all five of his legions to undergo training‖ won’t cut it! We want to be entertained by what you write; write well and get rewarded! Now, an army might well consist of several legions and auxiliary units, each with a different experience level. The Arbiter will examine the various units under a PC Legate‘s command and arrive at an overall experience level (which will more or less be the average experience of all units involved). To that figure will be added the PC Legate‘s experience level. The sum will be the overall experience level of that army as they go into battle. Plan your attack carefully! If you plan on attacking an enemy (rather than just receiving their charge), then say so clearly! If you plan on having your infantry hurl pila prior to closing, include that in the orders. Each of those actions will increase your offensive multiple. If you are conducting a siege assault, tell us to what extent you have prepared for the siege, in terms of engineering, siege machines, etc. Are you attacking with the sun at your back? If so, that will help (yes, we‘ll check the map…if you‘re attacking north to south at high noon, there‘s no advantage in that!) Are you hitting the enemy on their flanks? That‘s a huge help! (Again, we will look at what you‘re saying with an eye to realism. Merely saying you‘re conducting a rear enfilade does not automatically mean it is so; initial laydown of forces and teLOSain will tell us how likely you are to actually achieve this goal.) If you are planning an ambush or a surprise attack, we may give you extra credit (after first rolling the dice to see if you actually do achieve surprise). Use teLOSain to your advantage. We paid good money to buy the world-famous Barrington’s Atlas which provides good detail on teLOSain features for your potential battlefield. If you have planned your battle carefully, teLOSain might give you a critical advantage, both on offense and defense. Again, we will provide you with the proper reality check if you fail to do so…if you insist that you‘re mounting a Thermopylae-style defense, but you‘re situated smack dab in the middle of an open plain, guess what..? DEE-FENSE! If you are planning a defensive battle rather than a meeting engagement, say so. It will help. Have you made hasty defensive preparations? Describe them and you will earn a defensive bonus. If you have made more extensive preparations (like circum- or contravallations), you will receive an even greater bonus. These higher order defense works don‘t just spring up in an hour; they require considerable (2-3 days IRT) preparation. The key here is to plan your defense early, and post accordingly. (Units aren‘t equally adept at major engineering projects. A unit of Gallic auxiliaries are not going to prepare defensive works with the same degree of competence that a legion complete with combat engineers will.) Are you defending your forces from within a legionary marching camp? (Hint: only if you‘ve posted that you are!) If you are defending from within a settlement, your bonus will rise with the size of the town/city and the preparations you have made. Are you facing considerable numbers of enemy missile units? Tell us that you plan on using the Testudo formation as required, and you‘ll suffer fewer casualties! C.3 WINNING THE NAVAL CAMPAIGN It‘s very similar to what we said about land battles… “Victorious sea battles are the result of 40% Good Seamanship and 60% Good Penmanship!” In other words, no sea campaign will really take off the ground unless you put some good writing into the effort. Let‘s talk about some of the mechanics. A good naval campaign will have the following elements: 1. Overall Operational Plan. 2. Tactical Plan/Sailing Orders. 3. Pre-Battle Speech. 4. Battle NaLOSative. 5. Post-Battle Follow-up. 1. Operational Planning. The orders should give the readers (and the Arbiters!) a good general overview of what your campaign strategy is, and what order you will accomplish these tasks. (Ex: ―I intend first defeat the Greek navy in a decisive battle at sea, then I will blockade the city of Athens.‖) It should describe how you intend to employ your naval forces in general terms. (Ex: ―I will split my fleet into two squadrons, each consisting of 6 triremes and 4 biremes. The first squadron will sail south to Crete in order to…‖) It‘s a good idea to consult a map while you‘re planning this phase of your campaign. 2. Tactical Plan/Sailing Orders. This is where you tell us how you will actually fight your ships once battle is joined. Again, you can include fancy graphics if you wish, but the main thing is to give the Arbiters the information they need to fill out their Battle Calculator worksheets (these worksheets use the information you provide in your orders to help the Arbiters decide the overall outcome of the battle, how many ships are sunk, captured, etc.) The rules give you a good idea of what the capabilities of each ship class are, and you should re-read them. In a nutshell, though, each ship is able to fight the enemy by bombardment (catapults, ballistae), ramming (ala Ben Hur) and boarding (capturing the enemy ship in hand-to-hand combat). You can divide the ships in your fleet into 8 mini task groups (2 for each ship type). Each task group can perform up to three missions, and you must assign priorities among the three mission types (Ram, Board, Bombard). As an example, you might do this: ―I will split my ships into two task groups. The Quinquiremes have bombardment as their first priority, ramming as second, and boarding as last priority. The Triremes are ordered to capture as many enemy ships as possible, so their #1 priority is boarding, followed by ramming and bombardment.‖ You then need to tell us your overall battle strategy. You have three choices: Standard Battle, Seek Decisive Engagement, or ―Evade/Hit & Run. The Standard Battle is pretty much like the name implies…no particular offensive or defensive advantage, but it‘s a well-balanced strategy. The Seek Decisive Engagement strategy is aggressive, and will maximize damage to both your fleet and the enemy‘s. If you want to end things once and for all, and you‘re stronger than they are, this is a good strategy. If you are weaker than the enemy or outnumbered, or need to ensure that a high-ranking leader (like yourself) escapes unharmed, then the ―Evade/Hit & Run strategy will give you a defensive advantage, and may reduce the amount of ships you lose to sinking and boarding. Tell us also if you intend to personally ram or board enemy vessels with your flagship (that‘s the ship your Player Character is riding). 3. Pre-Battle Speech. This is where you deliver inspirational words to your sailors and naval infantry. A stiLOSing, high quality speech will inspire your men and actually cause them to perform better in battle (yep, we designed that into the battle calculators, and we will grade you on how good your speech is!). A ho-hum or dull speech can actually have an adverse impact on how your men do, so don‘t neglect their morale! At this point, the Arbiters have pretty much everything they need to resolve the battle. They will fill out their battle calculator spreadsheet and roll the die (which simulates battle factors beyond control, fog of war, enemy actions, etc.). This die roll along with the scores you earned as a result of posting good orders, making good speeches, and the way you have allocated ship duties, will all be crunched together and the calculator will spit out the results. The Arbiters will e-mail you the results (did you win/lose, how many of your ships were sunk/captured, how many for the enemy, etc.) 4. Battle NaLOSative. Once the Arbiters give you the battle results, it is up to YOU to post the story, the ―Battle NaLOSative‖ on how things turned out. It shouldn‘t be just a box score summary (though that info should be included at the end of your post, for sure!) Rather, this is your chance to tell your story. Include details, keeping it accurate with respect to the overall outcome, ships lost, etc. Here‘s your big chance to write yourself up as the ―Horatio Hornblower of Ancient Rome.‖ You‘ve worked hard to get to this point, so have fun! 5. Post-Battle Follow-Up. The Arbiters will let you know how many ships and enemy sailors you‘ve captured. This is where you tell us what you intend to do with them. Also, if you have earned any post-battle military awards (or you‘ve been wounded), the Arbiters will let you know. You can (and should) include this information in your post-battle follow-up posting as well. Well, that‘s about it. Naval is hard, but rewarding work. Getting a reputation for yourself as a capable commander always pays big dividends politically, so make your naval campaign count for all it‘s worth. Oh, and did we mention that you should have fun while doing it..? The Legacy of Sulla © Copyright 2011 Jim Sebastian